“Why?”
“Why do they ever do anything? Because they can.” Walker ground his teeth together and groaned through his pain. “It’s just like every other fucking time I’ve had to deal with your team. They want you involved, but they can’t officially ask you to be involved, because then they’d have to reveal classified intel that goes even above your level. Part of my job is to make sure you know what’s going on without actually spelling it out for you. So you can go after the bad guys, and I keep my cover and my reputation as the badass assassin everyone thinks I am.”
“Jesus H. Christ.” Nate shook his head. “That’s some fucked up shit.”
“Fucking CIA and their need-to-know bullshit,” Matt bit out harshly.
Rather than let loose with a string of curses—something he’d really love to do at the moment—Gabe asked Walker, “So why do you all of a sudden have their permission to tell us now?”
“He doesn’t, actually.” Ryker’s deep voice interrupted the two men’s back-and-forth argument. “Neither do I. Which is why we were never here, and this conversation never happened.”
“See?” Matt chuckled angrily. “Just more spook worthy bullshit.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gabe looked to Ryker.
“I wish I were, Dawson.” The other man didn’t crack a smile. “Really, I do. I fucking hated not being able to tell you all the under-the-table bullshit that’s gone on. Especially when it’s personal.”
“Does Jake know?” Gabe asked about their boss and close friend of Ryker’s.
“I called him on the way here.”
Kole let out a low whistle. “Bet he was pissed.”
“He wasn’t happy, as you can probably imagine.” Ryker shrugged. “But he also understands how these things work.”
Yeah, right.
Drawing in a deep breath, Gabe let it out slowly. “Okay, so just to recap so that everyone’s on the same page…A much younger Radcliff gets drunk, screws up his target’s coordinates, and kills a bunch of innocent people. He thinks everyone who knew the truth has been taken care of until Mark Ellis comes along several decades later. Governor Radcliff tells Daniel Price, his Chief of Staff, to clean up the mess for fear the scandal will cost him the upcoming election…”
“Then Price hires Hall to follow Elle’s patient and make sure he stays quiet,” Nate joined in. “When Price realizes Ellis is in counseling, he gets scared. Worried Ellis has shared either the letter or the story or both with his psychologist”—Nate motioned to Ellena—“and decides she needs to be taken out, as well.”
Taking a turn at the helm, Matt continued with the unbelievable scenario. “What Price doesn’t realize is the assassin he hired is actually…I can’t believe I’m even saying this…an undercover government agent working for a super-secret task force formed by the CIA and Homeland.”
“And since Ellena isn’t on the government’s hit list, you’ve been making it look like you’re trying to kill her, when actually you’ve been trying to help her.” Zade tilted his head to the side, his brows turning inward as he stared back at Walker. “And us.”
“Finally.” Walker let out an exaggerated sigh. “You know, I’d clap if I could, but…” The smartass glanced down at his wounded shoulder. “Now, seeing as how y’all know I’m not really the bad guy, what do you say you cut me loose? Break out some of those pain meds, some gauze, and that Quick Clot I know guys like you keep handy.”
“I still have one more question.” Ellena took a step closer to him.
“Shoot, Doc. Oh, wait.” Walker snickered. “You already did.”
“Shut your mouth, Walker,” Gabe warned. “Before I shut it for you.”
“You never answered me when I asked why you involved Jenna in this.”
Though he couldn’t swear to it, Gabe thought he saw a swarm of regret swimming behind Walker’s gray eyes. “Price still thinks I’m on his payroll, Doc.”
“Which means?” Ellena crossed her arms in front of her chest, almost as if she were hugging herself.
“Like I said before, I’ve been trying to buy you some time. It’s worked up to this point, but Price is getting antsy. Really antsy. And Radcliff’s getting almost as paranoid as your boy, Mark.”
A sinking feeling settled deep in Gabe’s gut. “Get to the fucking point, Walker.”
The other man’s steel-colored eyes met his. “Price wants me to bring him Ellena.”
“Ah, shit,” someone in the room cursed.
“But Jenna—”
